Archive for 'Data Protection' Category

Now that the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 AKA Snooper’s Charter – is law, how can you protect yourself from government snoopers? The new law forces internet service providers to keep a record of all the websites you visit for up to a year. It also obliges companies to decrypt data on demand and gives government security […]

There is a growing interest by hackers in fledgling firms seeking to build businesses around blockchains and digital currencies. That is troubling given the current fever of interest in the blockchain. Many see it as the element of the Bitcoin crypto-currency that will have lasting influence. Visa has announced plans to launch a blockchain payments […]

Hackers managed to steal £56 million from Bangladesh’s central bank because it skimped on network hardware and security software. The bank had no firewall and used second hand routers that cost $10 to connect to global financial networks. Better security and hardware would have hampered the attackers, Reuters said, quoting an official investigator. The hackers […]

The GDPR laws are intended to give power back to citizens over how their data is processed and used The data protection regulation’s stated aim is to give citizens back control of their personal data as well as simplifying the regulatory environment. It could mean huge fines for companies that breach the law and offer […]

A recent UK tribunal that GCHQ illegally spied on UK citizens means that you can now try and find out if they spied on you. The Tribunal’s decision was the first time that the court ruled against the intelligence agencies since it was established in 2000. It found that GCHQ collected data from the NSA’s Prism […]

The Internet of Things (IoT) lets us communicate and connect via a myriad of different technologies. The IoT promises to let stuff, devices and gadgets connect in the same way that humans do via the internet. Already it is possible to get smart thermostats, fridges, ovens, washing machines, air conditioners, lights, plugs, music players, baby […]

Almost five billion mobile phone location records are logged by GCHQ and NSA every day according to reports the Washington Post.The data is said to help the NSA track individuals, and map who they know, to aid the agency’s anti-terror work. The “dragnet surveillance” was condemned by digital rights groups who called for the NSA’s […]

More than two million stolen passwords used for sites such as Facebook, Google and other web services have been posted online.It is suspected the data was taken from computers infected with malicious software that logged key presses. It is not known how old the details are – but the experts warned that even out-dated information […]

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, who created the world wide web called for a “full and frank public debate” over internet surveillance by the National Security Agency and GCHQ- warning that the system of checks and balances to oversee the agencies has failed. As the inventor of the global system of inter-connectivity known as the web, with […]

GCHQ and the US National Security Agency (NSA) is reported have cracked the security codes which protect data on iPhones, Blackberries and Android devices. German news weekly Der Spiegel says documents suggest the NSA and the British GCHQ made joint efforts to gather intelligence. Teams looked at each phone to crack its privacy codes, Der […]